Women in <strong>the</strong> Ancient WorldJenifer NeilsBritish Museum Press, 2011216pp, 200 colour photographs and one mapPaperback, £18.99Jenifer Neils has taught Classical Art andArchaeology at Case Western ReserveUniversity since 1980. She has also guestcuratedtwo major international loan exhibitions,Goddess and Polis: The Pana<strong>the</strong>naicFestival in Ancient A<strong>the</strong>ns and Coming <strong>of</strong>Age in Greece: Images <strong>of</strong> Childhood from<strong>the</strong> Classical Past.Her latest book, a handsome volume,lavishly illustrated throughout with colourphotographs <strong>of</strong> objects largely drawn from<strong>the</strong> collections <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> British Museum,focuses on both <strong>the</strong> role and perception <strong>of</strong>women in <strong>the</strong> past.Small details like a map <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ancient<strong>world</strong>, a list <strong>of</strong> goddesses across differentcultures and a potted history <strong>of</strong> each in <strong>the</strong>opening chapter, make this a self-containedprimer on <strong>the</strong> topic for those who inclinetowards <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tic.Neils does broach <strong>the</strong> awkward truth that<strong>the</strong> vast majority <strong>of</strong> what we know <strong>of</strong> womenin <strong>the</strong> ancient <strong>world</strong> is filtered through representationsleft to us by men, and makessome effort to navigate round this by touchingon <strong>the</strong> clues that can be drawn frombiological remains, for example, preservedbodies. This is, however, clearly not <strong>the</strong>raison d’être <strong>of</strong> this book, as more spaceis filled by beautiful images <strong>of</strong> well photographedobjects than by CAT scans.Having accepted that male-authoredaccounts concerning <strong>the</strong> female members<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> population are heavily biased,<strong>the</strong> book unashamedly focuses ona visual celebration <strong>of</strong> women while at<strong>the</strong> same time placing <strong>the</strong>m in a sociohistoriccontext.The cultures under scrutiny are AncientGreece, Rome, Egypt, and <strong>the</strong> Near East.But, by examining <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>the</strong>matically,ra<strong>the</strong>r than geographically, Neils allowsfor interesting comparisons to be drawnbetween <strong>the</strong> different cultures, for instanceMinerva November/December 2012views and laws concerning <strong>the</strong> legal rights <strong>of</strong>women and approaches to marriage.This book ambitiously covers a vastperiod, stretching from 4000 BC to AD 600and involving a range <strong>of</strong> religions and cultures– particularly from <strong>the</strong> Ancient NearEast. But <strong>the</strong> chapter headings: ‘FemaleStereotypes’, ‘Mo<strong>the</strong>rs and Mourners’,‘Working Women’, ‘The Body Beautiful’,‘Women and Religion’ and ‘Royal Women’allow <strong>the</strong>se introductory studies to be presentedin accessible portions.The chapters are peppered throughoutwith comparative and supporting accounts,from myths and old textual sources, whichadd to our understanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> imagery on<strong>the</strong> objects (eg. black figure pots). A few surprisingexamples <strong>of</strong> biased ancient thoughtinclude <strong>the</strong> fact that Aristotle thoughtwomen were no more than mutilated men.At its close Neils concedes once more thatmost <strong>of</strong> what we know about women in <strong>the</strong>ancient <strong>world</strong> is seen through male eyes,but as <strong>the</strong> remit <strong>of</strong> her book is to show howart celebrates <strong>the</strong> female form, it succeeds inbeing an engaging, informative and beautifullypresented book.Greek Prostitutes in <strong>the</strong> AncientMediterranean 800 BCE–200 CEAllison Glazebrook and Madeleine M.Henry [eds.]University <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin Press, 2011360pp, 14 black and white photos and12 drawingsPaperback, £23.50If, on finishing Jenifer Neils’ Women in<strong>the</strong> Ancient World (reviewed left), youwanted to study in greater depth one <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> more taboo aspects <strong>of</strong> feminine life,what is commonly referred to as ‘<strong>the</strong>oldest pr<strong>of</strong>ession in <strong>the</strong> <strong>world</strong>’, <strong>the</strong>n GreekProstitutes in <strong>the</strong> Ancient Mediterranean800 BCE – 200 CE provides <strong>the</strong> idealscholarly assessment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sex workers <strong>of</strong>Ancient Greece.Glazebrook and Henry have edited contributionsfrom 11 academics (including <strong>the</strong>mselves)on this subject, and <strong>the</strong> 10 essayswithin this book, along with appropriatereferencing glossary and indices, are verymuch aimed at those studying <strong>the</strong> Classical<strong>world</strong> at degree or higher level.This is not to say, though, that <strong>the</strong> bookis unapproachable or unengaging, quite <strong>the</strong>contrary in fact, as it covers such fascinatingsubject matter. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, this is notto say it is a vicarious peepshow into ancientsexual practices.Much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> book focuses on <strong>the</strong> importance<strong>of</strong> Ancient Greek prostitutes to society.Among <strong>the</strong> ideas discussed are <strong>the</strong>socio-political power that prostitutes cameto wield and how this sat with <strong>the</strong> lay (forwant <strong>of</strong> a better term) community, <strong>the</strong> socialstatus <strong>of</strong> women, civic <strong>end</strong>orsement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>pr<strong>of</strong>ession and a philological study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>language associated with sex.Architectural and archaeological evidenceis also examined, with particular referenceto <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>ls on Delos. Coupledwith liberal citations <strong>of</strong> ancient writings andfragments this makes for a pleasingly multidisciplinaryapproach to <strong>the</strong> subject.Greek vase painting is a great resourcefor this type <strong>of</strong> study and Nancy SorkinRabinowitz’s chapter, ‘Sex for Sale?’,analyses <strong>the</strong> representations <strong>of</strong> women seen(predominantly) on drinking vessels. Bydrawing attention to body language, r<strong>end</strong>ering,attributes, and how <strong>the</strong>se relate towritten accounts, Rabinowitz explains thatprevious interpretations <strong>of</strong> rites <strong>of</strong> passage,courtship scenes, companionship and lovescenes, may have been erroneous.Many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> examples cited throughoutthis book create small vignettes <strong>of</strong> lifein Ancient Greece and show how prostitutionwas fundamentally and vitally linkedto many aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> social and economicposition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>city</strong>-states.What can be learnt from <strong>the</strong> prostitutes<strong>of</strong> Ancient Greece is evidently far more thanmight be expected and in many instancesquite surprising – one good example <strong>of</strong> thisis <strong>the</strong> madam who wrote out <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong>her bro<strong>the</strong>l in 237 stanzas <strong>of</strong> high oratoricallanguage.Overall this highly engaging book demonstrates<strong>the</strong> need to use all <strong>the</strong> availableancient resources to build up an accuratecultural picture <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> times.As Glazebrook and Henry acknowledge,<strong>the</strong> academic study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> oldest pr<strong>of</strong>ession isfar more acceptable today than it once was.Ge<strong>of</strong>f Lowsley55
In <strong>the</strong> saleroom GERHARD HIRSCH NACHFOLGER1. South-west US or north-west Mexico,painted spherical vessel, AD 1050-1400.H. 21cm. (Lot 1; est. €1400. Unsold).2. Western Mexico, well-fed standing Colima dog vesselwith tail-spout (restored), 200 BC-AD 300. L .33cm.(Lot 5; est. €2000. Unsold).3. Inca period (1438-1533) vessel in <strong>the</strong>form <strong>of</strong> a duck (intact). L. 17cm. (Lot 121;est. €300. Sold €280).4. Nor<strong>the</strong>rn coast Chimu stirrupvessel in form <strong>of</strong> cat with monkeyon handle, AD 900-1470. H. 21.5cm.(Lot 72; est. €480. Unsold).5. Chimu stirrup vessel in form<strong>of</strong> a frog with two snakes on hisback and a monkey on <strong>the</strong> spout.H. 21cm. (Lot 74; est. €400. Unsold).6. Jaguar head clay whistle from<strong>the</strong> Veracruz or Gulf Coast Culture<strong>of</strong> Mexico (AD 100-1,000). H. 8.1cm.(Lot 162; est. €480. Unsold).7.Chimu stirrup jar toppedby a monkey with ano<strong>the</strong>ron <strong>the</strong> spout. H. 22.6cm.(Lot 77; est. €320. Unsold).From Chimu pots to Celtic coinsMurray Eiland reports on two sales <strong>of</strong> New World artefacts and coins in MunichPRE-COLUMBIAN ART SALECollections <strong>of</strong> pre-Columbian art do not<strong>of</strong>ten come on <strong>the</strong> market in Europe. Thisis probably due to <strong>the</strong> distances involved intravel between Europe and <strong>the</strong> New World.It is also because ancient pre-Columbiancultures left few written records, and <strong>the</strong>secannot be studied as literature. The result isthat artefacts from <strong>the</strong> Classical <strong>world</strong> holdpride <strong>of</strong> place in countries most directlyinfluenced by Greece and Rome.The collection assembled by Dr ClausMaria (and o<strong>the</strong>rs) and sold at <strong>the</strong> auctionhouse Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger on24 September was an exception. The saletotalled some 400 objects, 125 <strong>of</strong> whichwere from Dr Claus Maria’s collection.Born in 1940 in Danzig, Dr Maria grewup in <strong>the</strong> vicinity <strong>of</strong> Munich. Even thoughhe was employed as an engineer, he devotedhis free time to artistic pursuits includingcollecting. His collection was assembled in<strong>the</strong> 1980s and 1990s. It was a long-standinglove <strong>of</strong> dogs that led him to buy hisfirst artefact, a dog from <strong>the</strong> Colima culture(circa 200-300 BC). Figurines <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>sedogs are relatively common, and a variety<strong>of</strong> different pre-Columbian culturesburied <strong>the</strong>ir dead with dogs. Skeletons aswell as figurines are recovered today. Thatbeing said, this is a particularly fine examplewith a finely burnished surface (Lot 5).These canine figures, along with <strong>the</strong> so-called‘sex-pots’, are some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most popular replicasnow sold to tourists.There is a modern breed <strong>of</strong> dog that hasbeen correlated with <strong>the</strong> ancient breed, called<strong>the</strong> Xoloitzcuintli. The name is formed fromthat <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Aztec god <strong>of</strong> <strong>light</strong>ning and death,Xolotl, joined with itzcuintli, <strong>the</strong> word fordog. These Colima dogs served both as companionsand as food for <strong>the</strong> Aztecs, and many<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m appear quite rotund (ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y arewell-fed pets, or <strong>the</strong>y are being fattened upfor <strong>the</strong> cooking-pot).For those with an interest in collectingancient art that depicts animals, artefactsfrom Peru and Mexico are particularly popular.But ano<strong>the</strong>r reason must be that <strong>the</strong>seancient cultures produced many high qualityceramics. The fact that <strong>the</strong>y used mouldsand o<strong>the</strong>r techniques to make many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mdoes not detract from <strong>the</strong>ir artistry, and itis notable that <strong>the</strong>re are few examples <strong>of</strong>exactly <strong>the</strong> same pot known today. To startto <strong>the</strong> north <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pre-Columbian culturezone however, <strong>the</strong>re are several vessels <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>‘Casa Grande’ type that are from <strong>the</strong> southwesternUSA or nor<strong>the</strong>rn Mexico. Thesepeople <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sonoran Desert had a largepopulation supported by irrigated agriculture,as well as wide-ranging trade contacts.However, <strong>the</strong>y were clearly a very different56 Minerva November/December 2012